1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thrust bearing for pressurized shock absorbers.
2. Related Art
Pressurized shock absorbers are used in vehicles to absorb the shock of ground unevennesses and to dampen the oscillations or respectively vibrations caused by the ground unevennesses. They are also designed as air spring struts, in which the damping rod extends through the air spring space of the air spring bellow, and the air spring space is delimited and sealed up on the vehicle side by means of a damper head mounting or respectively damper head seal. The connection of the air spring strut to the vehicle structure takes place via the damper head mounting.
The damper head mounting has in particular the function of sealing in an airtight manner the air spring space and also receiving axial and radial forces in a cushioning and dampening manner from the damping rod and transferring them to the vehicle structure via the bearing housing. For this, elastomer components are installed in the damper head mounting.
A single elastomer component can be provided to receive both axial as well as radial forces from the damping rod. However, it has proven advantageous to receive the axial forces by means of an axial bearing and to receive the radial forces by means of a separate thrust bearing. The thrust bearing can be designed annularly and arranged between the damping rod and the bearing housing so that radial forces from the damping rod via the thrust bearing can be transferred in a cushioned and dampened manner to the bearing housing.
To prevent compressed air from escaping out of the air spring space through the intermediate space between the thrust bearing and the damping rod and/or through the intermediate space between the thrust bearing and the bearing housing, sealing elements, usually O-rings, are provided at a suitable location.
Additional costs and additional installation effort for the damper head mounting occur due to the necessity of providing O-rings for sealing. Furthermore, there is a need to improve the sealing function as well as the service life of the damper head mounting.
The object of the invention is thus to provide an improved thrust bearing for pressurized shock absorbers, which reduces the costs and the installation effort for the damper head mounting and enables a better sealing function and lifespan of the damper head mounting.